Utah HC can offer Maple Leafs the perfect player in Nick Robertson Trade

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Graham Montgomery
July 14, 2024 (9:41 PM)

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The Utah Hockey Club is reportedly shopping former 11th overall pick Victor Soderstrom, opening the door to a deal with the Maple Leafs.

Utah Hockey Club reporter Craig Morgan has revealed today that the team is looking into the possibility of trading Victor Soderstrom. Soderstrom is a right handed, two-way defenseman with a lot of pedigree as a former 11th overall pick.

However, he has yet to establish himself as a full-time NHL player and his production rate in the AHL has more or less stagnated. Perhaps the best thing for him at this point in his career would be a change of scenery.

Also hearing that while Utah is open to re-signing RFA D-man Victor Söderström, the team is also exploring trades for the 2019 11th overall pick.

Söderström, 23, has yet to establish any kind of NHL foothold, totaling 53 NHL games (1 G, 11 pts.) over the past three seasons.

Notably, Leafs forward Nick Robertson has requested a trade from the team. Like Soderstrom, Robertson has set to fully establish himself as a full-time NHL player.

That being said, he seems to have developed better, as he did get into 56 games with the Leafs last season, scoring 27 points in the process.

Disappointing to hear that Nick Robertson has requested a trade from the Leafs.
His game definitely has potential: hard shot, some speed and skill. Obviously still a ways to go to round out his game, but I am hopeful

That being said, Robertson is clearly not happy with his situation with the Leafs. It appears as though he would prefer to be in a situation where he will get more consistent playing time. Could Utah be a better fit for him? That much is yet to be seen.

That being said, one thing we do know is that Robertson's value ought to be a lot higher than Soderstrom's at this point. While right-handed defenseman come at a premium, the fact that the 23 year old has just 53 games of NHL experience is working against him, especially since he has not looked particularly good in those games.

As such, the Leafs could get another asset from Utah in addition to Soderstrom should they make this move. While the Leafs are in their contention window, adding another draft pick could certainly help the team in the future.

Source: MapleLeafsDaily
Utah HC can offer the Leafs exactly what they need in a Nick Robertson trade